NEIL Simpson has been dramatically stripped of his maiden international rally win.

The 26-year-old Colne driver clinched a last-gasp victory on the Kumho Tyres Scottish Rally, the third round of the Mobil 1 British Rally Championship.

But following a mandatory check on his Pirelli-backed Mitsubishi Lancer by scrutineers at the end of the two-day event, rally organisers notified Simpson that he had been excluded on the grounds of 'technical non-conformity'.

They found the front brake pads were oversize and failed to meet the homologated requirements.

Simpson and his team, Belfast-based David Greer Motorsport, immediately launched an appeal against the Royal Scottish Automobile Club's decision, and the the incident is currently under judicial review.

The last-minute dramas promoted reigning Mobil 1 British rally champion Tapio Laukkanen to provisional winner, ahead of Finn Marko Ipatti, who is leading the series.

If the results stand, it will be a bitter blow to rising star Simpson and his Irish co-driver Michael Gibson, who clinched their win after a brilliant drive in the Scottish forests.

The pair capitalised on the misfortune of rally leader Neil Wearden, from Blackpool, who lost five minutes with electrical failure on his Vauxhall Astra, before fending off late challenge from Ipatti, driving a factory-supported Mitsubishi

Speaking on the Dumfries finish ramp before he was thrown out of the event, Simpson said: "It's fantastic. I was really going for this one.

"I knew it was my last chance on a gravel event, before the championship moves to tarmac next month. We were a bit rusty on the first stage because it's been a while since we drove the car.

"I hope this will help my career on a bit. Now I need advice on what to do next."

Instead, he now faces a anxious wait to see if the sport's governing body will overturn the exclusion verdict.